The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-04-02

house, hospitals suffers stores, etc. In
the center was large open space, the
drill ground.
AT ether end, at about It's middle, was
o large high gate for teams, and beside IL
smaller one for persons TO pass through;
at each OF which stood soldier with
musket, guarding the entrance.
Life within soon grew TO be veritable
prison experience A company was as
signed to each Of the buildings, which, as
said before, was long, narrow structure,
and had at one end a kitchen and store
rooms and ut the other two or three small
apartments for tho officers Through the
crnter Of the main room ran table made
Of rough boards from which all ate.
At the sides Of the long room were box
like structures, open in 'front.' having tiers
Of boards laid wide enough for two to sleep
upon. These were hunks.
The barracks were made OF rough boards
put on ''up and down." with no ceiling
overhead save the single roof. Windows
and doors were few, purposely so TO econ
omize space.
Here began the crude, coarse fare Of SOL
der life. Rations IN abundance were OF
course supplied, but their preparation
lacked the delicate, skilled hand Of woman.
company to serve in the kitchen two days
These, the first day, served rs assistants
TO two other men who, but the day pre-
vious, were assistants, and with the ripe ex-
perience thus gained in one days apprentice
ship, were now full-fedged cooks
With these constant changes In the
kitchen, the food was at nearly all times
lily prepared, and chance TO often an i'm
portant factor In the results, obtained
For illustration, meat that was put in the
oven to bake or rather roast from the pres
ence Of too much fat, turned out q fry,
and beef put in the kettle to boil, from
there being scarcity OF water wards
the last, ended in bake.
| Potatoes were almost never we'll cooked,
even when apparently done raw core
would be found in the center. Coffee was
sometimes little stronger than water At
others like lye.
But rice, white beans and dried apples,
gave the new cooks most trouble.
In cooking these the novice invariably
filed tho camp kettle, a large sheetiron
vessel holding two gallons or more, with
one Of these articles and then poured in
water and set 1t upon the stove. In Q
! little while the rice, apples or beans began
swelling and the vessel commenced run
ming over; the novitiate meantime dip
ping out the superfluous quantity and put.
ting it in another vessel, this process goes
on till he finds he has been compelled to
take out more than there is left and still
the camp kettle runs over and seems 10
| have lost none-and in the end there Is
enough for regiment.
Good cook stoves and utensils Of all kind
were furnished by the Government The
tableware was all OF tin or iron.
Through the day there was company
drill, occupying an hour or two after
breakfast and before supper. The rest Of
the time was spent reading writing let
ters and playing checkers and pitching
qvoits with horse shoes,
Occasionally pass was procured from
the commander of the post and trip made
to Springfield or to the woods or into the
country across the fields The camp had
grown terrible monotonous and any chance
to get out, where the view was less circum-
scribed and the pure air in more abundance,
vas welcomed.